


I Could Have Sworn

by Honorable_mention



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: 5+1 Things, Ambassador Sokka (Avatar), Bisexual Sokka (Avatar), Engagement, Established Relationship, M/M, Minor Aang/Katara, POV Outsider, Past Sokka/Suki (Avatar), Zuko is an Awkward Turtleduck, but actually four things, but only to the relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-31
Updated: 2020-07-31
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:13:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,333
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25626481
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Honorable_mention/pseuds/Honorable_mention
Summary: Four times the Gaang doesn’t realize Sokka and Zuko are dating and one time it becomes clear that they are
Relationships: Aang & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Sokka (Avatar), Katara & Zuko (Avatar), Sokka & Suki (Avatar), Sokka/Zuko (Avatar), Toph Beifong & Zuko
Comments: 12
Kudos: 862





	I Could Have Sworn

One.

If you had to ask Katara what her brother liked in friends and partners, she'd shoot you one of her trademark looks and ask why you were so interested. If you pressed her on it she’d tell you that he had bad taste.

Not only had her brother broken up with Suki for some inexplicable reason, but he’d now become good friends with Zuko. Best friends, really, though she hated to admit it. It was all proof that Sokka had terrible taste in who he dated, or rather didn’t date, and even worse taste in friends.

It wasn’t that she had a problem with Zuko as a person. Not anymore. He’d proved himself to be trustworthy time and time again, and he seemed genuinely sweet under the layers of abrasiveness and awkwardness. However, of all the people Sokka could be hanging out with, did it have to always be Zuko? A normal amount was fine, but the amount of time they spent together was starting to be problematic.

She and Aang were staying at Zuko’s palace (and what a strange concept, leaving a traumatized teenager in charge of a traumatized nation). Ostensibly they were there on Avatar business, but really the group wanted an excuse to hang out together again. Toph and Suki would be joining them in the next few days. 

Zuko had set them up in nice rooms with beautiful soft beds and stunning views of the city. The palace food was good and she was able to take a real bath after months on the road. It would have been a wonderful stay if it weren’t for the fact that Katara couldn’t get a single moment alone with her brother. 

Everywhere he went Zuko would trail behind him. They’d always be laughing at inside jokes, making fun of nobles and generals and referencing things Katara didn’t recognize. Whenever she asked about the jokes Sokka would tell her that she needed to be there and Zuko would try to awkwardly explain it. 

It was getting annoying.

At dinner Katara asked her brother what he was doing that night.

“Nothing much. I was just going to hang out with Zuko in his rooms.” He paused to scarf down some kind of noodle. “You should take Aang to see the turtle ducks. I’d say we could all go, but then Zuko would never leave. You know how he is.” She did not know how Zuko was, apparently.

“Can I join you? It might be nice to relax.” She poked at something laid out before her. Every time she visited she was wary of the food. Fire Nation cuisine could be delicious, but it could also scald your whole mouth if you weren’t careful.

Sokka seemed to choke on his food. She went to help him but he straightened himself out. “Oh, you meant, like, yeah. Yeah. Obviously. Cool. No problem. Bring Aang, we can play some of the Fire Nation board games Zuko has.”

That night she and Aang showed up at Zuko’s royal rooms. They were tacky, of course, but still a bit more tasteful than she’d been expecting. Nothing too ostentatious.

It was nice hanging out together, though a bit awkward. Katara just assumed that was how Zuko was. It must have never worn off after the whole trying to capture Aang thing. She didn’t understand how her brother put up with it like he did. 

Sokka really did have terrible taste in friends.

  
  


Two.

Aang finally pinned Sokka down to the training room floor. Every time they fought it got harder and harder for Aang to win, but he still managed. Avatar powers and all.

He let Sokka get off the ground and they sat on the side of the training room. Sweat dripped from his brow as he watched Sokka dab his forehead with a piece of cloth before lying on the ground. Momo came up and sniffed his head. Sokka laughed and scratched the back of his ear.

Eventually they got up to get a snack. When they got up to leave Momo scampered up Sokka’s back and settled on his shoulder.

“Ew, gross, I can hear him licking his paw right in my ear,” Sokka said, though Aang noticed the smile in the corners of his mouth.

“It’s just a sign of affection. He missed you!”

“Sure, sure.” They entered through the back of the palace’s kitchens. A wave of cool air hit him before the cooking flames reared up and Aang took the opportunity to bask in them before continuing. He watched Sokka say hi to everyone who worked there as they walked. They all seemed to recognize him.

As they walked Sokka collected various snacks, some of which Aang took and the rest Sokka devoured. When Aang thought they were about to leave Sokka took a sharp right turn and led them to an empty room. He reached on to a shelf and pulled out a jar of something red.”

“Because you’re here, Aang, I’d like to recruit you for a plan.”

“What kind of plan?”

“A plan to make Katara cry in the most loving way possible.” He held out the jar. “It includes this delicious substance.”

“What is it?” Aang asked, getting closer to examine it.

“I don’t have a name for it yet, but it’s the spiciest food I could make. One drop will have tears pouring down your face.”

“So you want to give Katara some? That seems kind of mean.”

“Trust me,” Sokka said. “She’ll get over it. It’ll totally be worth it.”

Aang stuck his finger out and Sokka nodded. He dipped into the jar and put the smallest amount possible onto his tongue. Immediately pain raced across his mouth. It was in his nose and lips, and he used the trick Katara had shown him to bend water out of the air to sooth his burning face.

“Why did you even make this?” Aang gagged.

“Zuko’s super used to spicy foods, so I wanted to make him something that would remind him of the pain I feel when I eat fire flakes.” He paused. “So I was thinking we bake this into a tart for Katara? It’ll be hilarious, I promise.”

Katara did not find it nearly as hilarious as Sokka did. After she finished chewing him out she stormed back to their rooms.

“I should probably go apologize to her,” Aang said to Sokka.

“Better you than me. I think I’m going to go back to me and Zuko’s rooms for the night. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“You and Zuko share rooms?” Aang asked.

“Yeah, why not?”

“It’s just a cool idea, being that close with your friends. Katara, Toph, and I like to share a room when we travel now that we can stay in actual inns, although you’ll never get Toph to admit she likes the company.” He smiled. “Anyway, I really gotta go. See you in the morning!”

With that he chased after Katara.

  
  


Three.

Despite what people might think, Suki was still close with her ex boyfriend. They’d broken up amicably, or as amicably as any teenagers could. They still liked each other’s company, just not in the same way they had before. Less kissing, more nerdy discussions of weaponry. In fact, Suki’s biggest problem with her ex boyfriend Sokka was that he seemed to refuse to date anyone.

If she got an explanation from him it would have been fine. Maybe he was busy, or he didn’t want that emotional responsibility. But he wouldn’t even tell her why he wasn’t dating anyone. It had been four years, that was plenty of time to get over their relationship.

She kept trying to set him up with different girls she knew. The Kyoshi Warriors were right out, because that would be a level of awkward she wasn’t ready for, but Suki knew people across the different nations. One of them had to be someone good for Sokka to date.

Be each time she found a cute girl for Sokka to date he’d bring Zuko along with him. Which would have been fine as a double date, but it would just be Sokka and Zuko, no extra man or woman. How weird is it to bring your best friend on a first date? Of course no one would want a second one.

“Sokka, why didn’t you like Mina?” They were sitting in a little garden hidden in a courtyard at Iroh’s new house in Ba Sing Se. She sipped a cup of hot tea brewed by Iroh and watched Sokka do the same. Birds chirped overhead and the sun filtered through the clouds.

“I did like her! She was super nice!” That was surprising. Of everyone she’d set him up with, Mina was not the girl she was expecting him to like. It wasn’t that she wasn’t a good person it was just that she was, for lack of a better phrase, kind of boring. She was the cousin of a Kyoshi Warrior, and that was the only really distinctive thing about her. Suki had gotten a bit desperate, okay?

“So are you going to see her again?” She tried not to sound hopeful, because that would have been sad. 

“Probably not. Why?” 

So much for that then. “I just think you’d be good together.” Not a lie, but not the truth exactly. It was fine, she was sure he’d understand.

“She’s not really the kind of person I’d be friends with. I mean, you’re my friend. My sister’s my friend. Aang, the literal Avatar, is my friend. Mina’s, well-“

“Yeah. I get it.” She finished her tea. “I guess we should probably go back inside then.”

“We should. I think Aang convinced Zuko to sing tonight. It’s going to be hilarious.”

“There is no way I’m missing that. It’s going to be a disaster. Zuko couldn’t hold a note if his life depended on it.”

Sokka grinned. “Exactly.”

  
  


Four.

Sparky was happy. This wasn’t unusual in and of itself, but recently Toph had realized something: Sparky had been solidly happy for the last few years.

Sure, she’d been by once or twice when he was upset, or angry, or otherwise his stressed-out old self, but it was less permanent. Rather than the happiness being the temporary mood, the happiness was the constant and the unsteadiness fleeting.

It was probably good for him. The whole angry sad thing was getting a bit old.

But Toph liked to understand things, and she wanted to know what it was that had changed Sparky’s demeanor.

Of course there were the obvious and likely contenders. His father wasn’t actively trying to kill him, his sister was doing better, he wasn’t in exile. But he’d also gotten the weight of the Fire Nation, and she knew that must have been freaking him out. She’d once heard him have a whole five minute dialogue with himself about whether or not he had been rude to Aang. 

There had to be something else affecting his mood. Something she wasn’t noticing. 

She tried to ask Aang, but he told her that Zuko was likely just in a better place spiritually. Admittedly she couldn’t remember what he had said exactly, but it was probably something like that. It sounded like him at least.

She tried to ask Katara, but she told her to appreciate the fact that Zuko wasn’t being terrible to them anymore and to move past it.

She tried to ask Suki, but she wasn’t much help. No one was much help.

Toph was close to asking Sokka when she realized what it was. Of course. How had she not noticed?

Sokka and Zuko were such close friends. They must have been helping each other, and that was what caused the change in Zuko.

  
  


Plus One.

It was nice being back in the cold. Katara had missed it. Nothing quite compared to that familiar bone chill. 

The South Pole was home and she was happy to be back.

She and Aang had gotten a bit distracted on their way down, a whole adventure featuring very large fish and one extremely dexterous cat, and they’d just missed Sokka and Zuko. The two of them had been visiting Hakoda and the rest of the Southern Water Tribe and the original plan had been to all meet up, Katara and her family plus Aang and Zuko.

Unfortunately that hadn’t happened, but at least she gotta see her dad again.

That night she and Hakoda stayed up past everyone else. Katara rubbed her hands as she sat by the fire, soaking up the warmth. She loved the cold, but half of it’s joy was feeling the contrast with the heat.

“So how was it seeing Sokka and Zuko?” She asked her father.

“It was really good. You know I always love seeing you kids. And, well,” he paused, “I’m actually not sure I should tell you.” 

That caused her to sit up straighter. “You can tell me. I promise it’ll stay between us.”

“When they were down here I helped Zuko carve an engagement ornament for Sokka. He was terrible at it, but that’s not the point.” Hakoda smiled at the fire. “I’m really glad he’s trying to adopt some of our traditions.”

“Why would you do that? Help him carve an engagement stone?” She asked.

“Because they wanted to get engaged? Why else?” 

“But they’re not even dating.”

“Yes, they are.” Her father’s brow furrowed. “Did you not know?”

“No!” But it made too much sense. She had to process for a moment. “How long?”

“Six years. And they make a good couple. I’m always happy to see two people make each other happy.”

“Yeah, that’s great,” she said. She still couldn’t believe it

She didn’t fully understand it until the wedding. Although once she was there she had to agree with her father. She never would have guessed it, not in a thousand years, but Sokka and Zuko did make a good couple. 

**Author's Note:**

> I hope y’all like this! Have an awesome day! :))


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